Latest news with #Natarajan
USA Today
12-07-2025
- Science
- USA Today
What's at the center of a black hole? Scientists have a sobering answer.
First, the good news: Black holes aren't out to get us. But they do hold unfathomable mysteries. They're the boogeymen of science fiction, a paradox of science and quite possibly a key to understanding the universe. Scientists have been scrambling to understand the mysterious forces of black holes for decades, but so far it seems they've found more existential questions than answers. We know a black hole is so heavy that its gravity creates a kind of divot in the geometry of the universe, said Priyamvada Natarajan, a theoretical astrophysicist at Yale University. "A black hole is so concentrated that it causes a little deep puncture in space/time. At the end of the puncture you have a thing called a singularity where all known laws of nature break down. Nothing that we know of exists at that point." Understanding what science knows about black holes involves mysterious little red dots, the formation of galaxies, and spaghettification (the unpleasant thought experiment about what would happen to a person unlucky enough to be sucked into a black hole). First, the good news: Black holes aren't out to get us. They aren't whizzing around the universe looking for galaxies, suns and planets to devour. "They don't just sneak up to you in a dark alley," said Lloyd Knox, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Davis. But our understanding of the very fundamentals of the universe has been transformed over the past decade by new telescopes and sensors that are letting scientists see more black holes and at every stage of their lives. "Our understanding of the role black holes play, that they are an essential part of the formation of galaxies, is new," said Natarajan. Here what cosmic secrets are being revealed: A new kind of black hole and a newly proven theory The original understanding of how black holes formed was that when a sufficiently large sun (about 10 times or more massive than our Sun) reached the end of its life, it could explode into a supernova that then collapses back into a black hole. The matter can collapse down into something only a few miles across, becoming so dense that its gravity is strong enough that nothing, not even light, can escape. This is what is called a stellar mass black hole. But in the past two decades, new types of black holes have been seen and astronomers are beginning to understand how they form. Called supermassive black holes, they have been found at the center of pretty much every galaxy and are a hundred thousand to billion times the mass of our Sun. But how did they form? "The original idea was that small black holes formed and then they grew," said Natarajan. "But then there's a timing crunch to explain the monsters seen in the early universe. Even if they're gobbling down stellar gas, did they have the time to get so big? That was an open question even 20 years ago." In 2017, she theorized that these supermassive black holes from the early beginnings of the universe happened when galactic gas clouds collapsed directly in on themselves, skipping the star stage entirely and going straight from gas to a massive black hole seed, with a head start, that could then grow. "Then guess what? In 2023 the James Webb telescope found these objects," she said. "This is what a scientist lives for, to make a prediction and see it proven." Black holes don't suck everything into them Because they have such massive gravity, black holes gobble up stellar gases and anything else that gets too close to them. But it's not an endless process that ends up with the entire universe being sucked into them. People sometimes worry that black holes are these huge vacuum cleaners that draw in everything in sight. "It's not like a whirlpool dragging everything into it," said Knox. Black holes are really like any other concentration of mass, whether it's a sun or a planet. They have their own gravitational pull but it isn't infinite. "If you're far enough away, you'd just feel the gravitational force, just the way you'd feel it from a planet," said Brenna Mockler, a post-doctoral fellow at the Carnegie Observatories at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Pasadena, California. If you fell into a black hole, you'd be 'spaghettified' All matter causes a dip or pothole in space/time, said Natarajan. A black hole is so heavy that its gravity creates a kind of divot in the geometry of the universe. "The bigger the mass, the bigger the pothole," she said. "At the end of the puncture you have a thing called a singularity where all known laws of nature break down. Nothing that we know of exists at that point." Where that puncture leads is unknown. "It's an open question," said Natarajan. "We don't think it could be another universe, because we don't know where in our universe it could go. But we don't know." So what if a human being fell into a black hole? Astrophysicists have a word for it – spaghettification. "If you were to fall into head first into a black hole, the different in gravity between your head and your toes would be so intense that you'd be stretched out and spaghettified," Natarajan said. Our Sun will never become a black hole There's no fear that our own Sun will become a black hole, said Knox. It's not big enough. "Lower mass stars burn through their hydrogen to make helium and then they'll start burning helium into carbon. And then at some point it ends up just pushing itself all apart," he said. "Our Sun will eventually expand and envelop the Earth and destroy it – but that's in 5 billion years, so you have some time to get ready. But it won't become a black hole." A still unanswered mystery – 'little red dots' NASA's super powerful James Webb Space Telescope began its scientific mission in 2022 and almost immediately picked up something that so far no one can explain: small red objects that appear to be abundant in the cosmos. Dubbed "little red dots," these objects have perplexed astronomers. They could be very, very dense, highly star-forming galaxies. "Or they could be highly accreting supermassive black holes from the very early universe," said Mockler, who is an incoming professor at the University of California, Davis.
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Yorker specialist T. Natarajan looking to relaunch himself
T. Natarajan was one of TNPL's first big finds. It was his exploits in the inaugural edition (2016), nailing yorkers, that helped him land his maiden IPL contract in 2017. Since then, Natarajan has represented the country in all three formats, establishing himself as one of the best bowlers in the death overs in the IPL. At the same time, the TN pacer has had to deal with his fair share of injuries. Following a successful IPL 2024, when he picked up 19 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad, he has had a tough time recovering from a freak shoulder injury. 'I broke a part of my bone near the left collarbone while training during the off-season last year. It is an extremely rare injury, and I was unfortunate,' says Natarajan. 'It could have been career-ending, but thankfully, I was able to overcome it without surgery. However, it took me nearly seven months to start bowling again properly.' The injury meant he bowled in just one game for Delhi Capitals in the recently concluded IPL, after being cleared only for the second half of the tournament. The 34-year-old is almost back to full fitness in the ongoing TNPL and has been key to his side IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans' run to the final, taking nine wickets at an economy rate of 6.35. 'I have become mentally accustomed to injuries. Every time I have a good season, I get injured. It is difficult, but I just work on myself, hoping to bounce back quickly. I am able to do this because of the love I have for the game.' This year in the TNPL, the left-arm pacer is enjoying bowling with the new ball, something he doesn't get to do often in the IPL. 'You gain experience through matches, and every bowler feels pressure in a T20 game. What the TNPL has allowed me to do is try out new things. It's been working out well so far, and I know I can bowl even better up front, but this is just the start,' he explained about his new role. Looking ahead, Natarajan hopes to play for Tamil Nadu in the upcoming white-ball competitions and take it as it comes. 'In whatever cricket is left in me, I want to enjoy and make good memories. I love the TNPL because I get to spend time with all these raw talents from districts and guide them through my experience.'
The Hindu
14-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Defer revision of electricity tariff by a year, say industries in Tamil Nadu
A drop in industrial power consumption, export of manufactured goods, and MSME operations in the first three months of 2025 compared with October-December 2024 coupled with an increase in the energy cost have hit hard the Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs). In such a scenario, any further hike in electricity tariff will be a blow to the manufacturing sector in the State, said Pradeep Natarajan, president of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Consumers' Association. Mr. Natarajan appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to not revise the electricity tariff from July 1 or to extend financial support to the manufacturing sector. The association cited multiple sources to point out that industrial power consumption in January-March 2025 was 8 % less than October-December 2024; MSME operations declined 17.5 %, manufactured goods exports fell 23 % while total energy cost to the input cost went up 29 %. With ongoing conflict in the west Asian countries disrupting energy markets, trade routes, and financial sentiment, industries in Tamil Nadu—particularly MSMEs and export-driven manufacturers—are bearing the brunt. 'This is not the time to increase power tariffs. Our industries are already struggling with falling demand, rising energy input costs, and mounting financial stress. A new tariff hike will only deepen the crisis,' he said in a press release. The tariff revision should be deferred for a year and special relief measures should be announced for energy-intensive and job-generating sectors, he added. The association said deferring the tariff hike will protect industrial continuity, safeguard jobs, and ensure sustained power demand for the electricity department. 'The industrial community remains hopeful that the government and the Tangedco will respond constructively to ensure Tamil Nadu retains its industrial competitiveness and employment momentum,' the association said in a press release.
New Indian Express
06-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
MLAs complain of lack of access to CM, his Cabinet colleagues
HYDERABAD: Several Congress MLAs and senior leaders from the Mahbubnagar Lok Sabha constituency have lodged a strong protest with AICC in-charge for Telangana Meenakshi Natarajan over the lack of access to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and other ministers and having to wait three to four hours to see them. They poured out their grievances during review meetings held by Natarajan at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Thursday. The meeting, chaired by TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, covered Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool and Warangal Lok Sabha constituencies. According to party sources, some MLAs raised concerns about the sidelining of senior Congress leaders with over 20 years of service, urging the leadership to provide them with prominent positions. A legislator from Mahbubnagar district pointed out marginalisation of BC and SC leaders, stating, 'BC and SC leaders are being sidelined, and they lack opportunities to fight for their rights, which is causing unrest at the grassroots level.' The MLA also questioned why the chief minister and ministers fail to allot time to discuss development works and cadre welfare, making the elected representatives wait for hours. The Nagarkurnool constituency meeting saw heated debates, with Alampur Congress leaders lodging formal complaints against MP and party's Disciplinary Action Committee chairman Mallu Ravi. They accused him of favouring BRS MLA from Alampur by sanctioning his bills while neglecting Congress leaders' bills. This apart, Alampur leaders demanded action against former ZP chairperson Sarita Tirupataiah and DCCB chairman Vishnuvardhan Reddy for alleged misconduct. In the Warangal constituency session, Natarajan directed MLAs, MLCs and senior leaders to actively promote the government's welfare schemes implemented over the past 17 months. She emphasised that these schemes are the 'backbone' of the party and urged leaders to work with unity to strengthen their public outreach. Mahesh Goud, meanwhile, called for better coordination between veteran and new party members. He asked the seniors to resolve issues and prepare for the upcoming local body elections, which he said would reflect on the MLAs' performance. The TPCC chief also expressed optimism about the positive response to initiatives like the BC caste census, SC sub-classification, PDS fine-quality rice distribution and the Bhu Bharati programme, underscoring their impact on boosting the party's ground-level support.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Tamil Nadu industries seek freeze on power tariff for a year
Industry associations in Coimbatore have appealed to the Tamil Nadu government and the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation not to revise the electricity charges from July. Tamil Nadu Electricity Consumers Association president Pradeep Natarajan said the average power consumption of industries, operation of MSMEs, and export orders for the manufacturing sector in Tamil Nadu have all seen a year-on-year decline. With the ongoing conflict in West Asian countries disrupting energy markets, trade routes, and financial sentiment, industries in Tamil Nadu, particularly MSMEs and export-driven manufacturers, are bearing the brunt. The Dearness Allowance/Consumer Price Index points during 2024-2025 have dropped. Hence, the Multi-Year Tariff (MYT) revision scheduled for July 2025 should be postponed, said Mr. Natarajan. 'This is not the time to increase power tariffs. Our industries are already struggling with falling demand, rising energy input costs, and mounting financial stress. A new tariff hike will only deepen the crisis,' he said in a press release. The Association sought a minimum one-year deferment of the multi-year tariff revision, status quo on current tariff levels until economic conditions stabilise, and special relief measures for energy-intensive and job-generating sectors. The Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Tiny Enterprises has urged Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to stall the proposed tariff revision with effect from July 1. Association president J. James pointed out that the fixed charges for MSMEs went up 430 % in 2022, and the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation was not reclassifying the tariff for micro units to 3 A (1) from 3 B despite orders from the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission. Further 6 % tariff revision will lead to closure of MSMEs and job losses, he said.
